Stage routes announced for Tour of Alberta

The first year of the Tour of Alberta brought the peloton to the wide open wheat fields in the western part of the Canadian province. Photo: Casey B. Gibson | www.cbgphoto.com

The Tour of Alberta, scheduled for September 2-7, 2014, will feature more than 700 kilometers of racing from Calgary to Edmonton, over a variety of terrain.

“We’ve reversed the overall route to start with a bang in Calgary at Canada Olympic Park,” said Duane Vienneau, the event’s executive director. “We’ve got a few new twists in the route. Overall, it will be a race made for speed.”

Ryan Anderson (Optum) said, “The wind and sometimes non-stop undulating terrain in certain parts will make it very difficult. The final circuit could be a game-changer with 22 climbs.”

Stage summaries

September 2 / Tuesday / Prologue / Calgary, time trial, 4km
This short 4-kilometer course within Canada Olympic Park starts flat and finishes with more than 100 meters of climbing in the final 1.3 kilometers.

September 3 / Wednesday / Stage 1 / Lethbridge, circuit race, 142km
The peloton will take on six hilly laps that include the Stafford Drive climb, which has a 15 percent maximum grade. With only 5.5 kilometers to the finish after the climb on the final lap, this race may not only determine the stage winner but could also create time gaps in GC.

September 4 / Thursday / Stage 2 / Innisfail to Red Deer, road race, 145km
Two circuits around Sylvan Lake will lead into three tough circuits and a finish in Red Deer’s city center. During the inaugural race in 2013, the race featured the same short, steep climb up Red Deer’s 55th Street which helped a breakaway stay away.

September 5 / Friday / Stage 3 / Wetaskiwin to Edmonton, road race, 162km
This course has the potential to be deceptively difficult, due to prevailing crosswinds on the open roads. The peloton will race west to the Edmonton Garrison for a circuit finish on an airstrip.

September 6 / Saturday / Stage 4 / Edmonton to Strathcona County, road race, 163km
Stage 4 is the most technical of this year’s Tour of Alberta. This winding course contains six sections of Canadian “pavé” and three sections of dirt roads — five kilometers in total. The stage finishes in Strathcona County with the tightest and shortest finish circuit of the race.

September 7 / Sunday / Stage 5 / Edmonton, circuit race, 121 km
The peloton will race 11 laps over an 11-kilometer circuit that features a short but steep climb out of the river valley up Bellamy Hill Road. The stage will start and finish at Churchill Square.